A high-profile land fraud case involving prime real estate worth KSh 350 million has landed a Nairobi man, Sammy Louis Karanja, in court. Karanja was arraigned before the Milimani Law Courts on Monday, June 9, where he faced multiple charges, including conspiracy to defraud and forgery.
Prosecutors allege that Karanja attempted to illegally acquire a 1.5-hectare parcel of land along Mombasa Road, belonging to Hasmita Patel, trading as Holloway Properties Limited. He is accused of forging a land grant dated November 23, 2024, with fake signatures attributed to former Lands Commissioners Jene Kanja and Sammy Silas Komen Mwaita. The falsified document was later presented to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) on December 18, 2023, as a genuine title issued by the Ministry of Lands.
Investigators also claim that Karanja and unnamed accomplices obtained KSh 2 million from Onda Concrete Limited by falsely promising to secure a lease for the disputed land. His co-accused remain at large.
Karanja, represented by his lawyer, pleaded not guilty and requested bail, arguing he is a law-abiding citizen. The court granted him release on a KSh 50 million bond or KSh 10 million cash bail. A pre-trial hearing is set for June 23, as authorities continue their probe and hunt for other suspects.
This case comes amid broader concerns over fraudulent land allocations in Nairobi. Recently, the Environment and Land Court nullified all titles for a 4.9-acre public land in Loresho following a probe by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC), uncovering decades-old illegal transfers.
